There's this nifty little glossary in the back of my Bible that has different verses under emotions. Like if you were feeling depressed it would direct you to Psalms 40:10. If you were enjoying life- Psalm 98 would be the answer. I looked up strength and found Joshua 1:9.
For some reason it really made an impression on me, and now it's my favorite Bible verse.
"I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened or dismayed for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."- Joshua 1:9
How true is that? God is commanding us to be strong and courageous because He will always be there to catch us if we fall.
If you read a few sentences before that, Joshua 1:5-9, it says 3 times. Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS.
In the actual events where this passage takes place, Moses just died and God is appointing Joshua as the leader. God is telling him that he will lead his people like Moses did and that the Bible should never depart out of his mouth.
God's commanding him to do this, just like He's commanding us to.
Joshua goes on to tell his people to be strong and courageous in the second part of the first chapter
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In my fairy-tale mind I think of strong and courageous as being the hero of the fantasy- the knight in shining armor. I'll never be that knight. I am way to chicken to fight a dragon. In my dreams, literally I pretend I'm dead so I don't have to fight all of the scary people. :)
But think about it in real life.
You can be strong against bullies. Against temptation. Against the devil.
You can be courageous by standing up for others, for what you know is right. Be courageous by going over your comfort zone to help others. Be courageous by showing the world the God you know and love.
Don't be scared because God is holding us up. Literally.
This verse has had a major impact on my life. I showed my mom and she shared in my "find." I had a friend over and she's been through some hard times. I told her about this verse, and she couldn't stop talking about how much it means to her.
The most meaningful way this verse has touched me is when I was at the dentist.
Yeah, just a typical setting for miracles, right? :)
So my brother was getting his teeth cleaned and I was filling out an audition form. One of the questions was, "What is your favorite Bible verse/quote?" At that point I memorized the "Joshua 1:9" part of it, but I didn't get the whole verse. So timidly, just in case the hygienist wasn't Christian, I asked my mom, " What was that Bible verse I liked again?"
My mom answered, "Just look it up." She handed me her phone and I looked it up. Then the hygienist asked, "What's the verse?"
And I told her.
I will never forget her reaction. She was really touched, and she compared the verse to Phillipians 4:13, you know, "I can do all things...?"
We were talking about how the Joshua verse didn't have as much popularity, but had equal to more impact.
The hygienist said, "It's so cool seeing how you love reading those verses. I remember my dad made me read the Bible, I didn't really want to. Seriously, it's awesome seeing this." I can't agree with her wholly because I am not always super pumped to read the Bible, but it made me feel really good inside.
She kept talking about how when you're older the Bible means more to you. After the checkup, she said "Make sure you have a Bible verse for me next time you come."
I waved goodbye to her and couldn't stop smiling. Right then I realized this verse could be very significant to many people. I felt that God spoke to her through me with that one verse. I felt special. I felt happy. I always want to relive that feeling. It was like my birthday, Christmas and summer rolled into one. This time it was more of an accident-but God apparently wanted it to happen- and it taught me not to be afraid to show that you are Christian or Catholic.
So if you see someone down, say "Joshua 1:9." Or you can tell them the verse. But I like leaving them hanging so they will want to go home to check out the Bible, and maybe they'll find some other verse and hey, two flies with one swat! Or however that quote goes. :)
Your life may be full of ups and downs- I know for sure mine is- but be strong. Be courageous! Don't be afraid to show your faith. God's there. He's always there.
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